


Tomorrow's Past by babs

by babs



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Angst, Drama, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-23
Updated: 2011-04-23
Packaged: 2017-10-18 13:30:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/189375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babs/pseuds/babs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A new mission brings up old memories for Daniel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tomorrow's Past by babs

Daniel was smiling, an actual honest to goodness smile of happiness and excitement. Jack felt his own lips twitch up at the corners as he watched Daniel talking to their hosts. It had been a long time since he could remember seeing Daniel so animated and, well, Daniel-like. The past six months had been brutal on all of them but most especially for Daniel, who had been dealt one blow after another, beginning with the death of Sha're and most recently with the loss of Robert Rothman. So it was good to see Daniel smiling and doing one of the things Daniel did best, building bridges between cultures, showing the people and races they met the best of the Tau'ri and not the worst.

"Daniel, Daniel, look. Look what I found." A dark-haired whirlwind of a child came running up to the gathered grown-ups, nearly bouncing off of Teal'c's knees.

"Symon!" Gryta, the boy's mother, put her hands on the boy's shoulders and shook her head. "It's very rude to interrupt adults when they are speaking."

The little boy hung his head and scuffed one bare foot in the dirt, suddenly shy. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"If you ask politely, perhaps our guests will be interested to see what you've found," Alekos said. Symon's father shared a smile with SG-1 and his wife.

"Uh huh." Symon bobbed his head and pulled one grimy fist out of his pocket. "You wanna see what I found, Daniel?"

Jack grinned in amusement. The little boy had obviously attached himself to Daniel, finding a kindred spirit in loving to dig in the dirt; no one else on the team even came close to being interesting according to Symon. For his part, Daniel seemed bemused by the attention. Daniel crouched down and peered at the small piece of smooth glass Symon held in his hand.

"That's very nice," Daniel said. He touched the glass with one forefinger. "You must have worked very hard to find such a treasure."

Symon nodded. "I did. When I grow up, I'm going to find the biggest treasure in the world and then I'll show it to you. You wanna see where I found this?"

Daniel looked up from his position, his eyebrows raised in question.

"We will not eat the evening meal until the sun begins to go down. So yes, there is time," Gryta said, her voice filled with merriment.

"Have fun playing," Jack added. He tried to maintain a serious expression but when his archaeologist was looking as eager to dig in dirt as a six-year-old it was very hard not to smile.

Daniel nodded and took Symon's hand as the boy led him towards the back of the house.

"Is the glass valuable?" Carter asked. Jack could almost see the wheels turning in her head.

Alekos laughed. "It's from the stream that runs through the pasture. It's just old pieces of a vase that I broke when I was a boy. It has no value except the joy it brings to Symon."

"Something that brings your child pleasure and joy is surely more valuable than the greatest treasure," Teal'c replied.

Jack raised an eyebrow at this comment. "I didn't know you were a philosopher, Teal'c.".

"You have never before asked me, O'Neill."

Jack put up his index finger and made a strike through the air. He didn't fail to catch the shared smiles of their hosts.

"Perhaps you would enjoy some refreshments. It is the custom of our people," Gryta said as they began their walk back to the house.

"Symon will drag Daniel back soon, I believe, Colonel O'Neill," Alekos added. "The boy's stomach never allows him to miss food."

****

Gryta placed a large platter of fruit and bread on the wooden table that dominated the inner courtyard. Jack sat down in the chair Alekos indicated. The people called this world Dioni, but Jack thought it might be closer to Paradise. It appeared the Goa'uld had not visited this world in centuries. Crops grew in the fertile soil, the major cities well planned and there was little to no crime.

  
Jack bit into a piece of fruit that looked like an apple but tasted more like grapes. He hid his smile at Carter's sigh over the piece of fruit she'd taken. Alekos began to tell them about the trip he'd planned for them tomorrow to a site he claimed was the birthplace of his people. Jack wasn't necessarily looking forward to the trek, but he knew Daniel would be in his element. In fact, if he knew Daniel, his friend would be up most of the night with a surfeit of restlessness and excitement.

  
A clatter at the door made all of them look up. Jack's hand went to his hip automatically.

"Papa, Papa," Symon called and rocketed into the room and into his father's arms. The boy was covered in mud, but was smiling broadly. "I found another treasure and Daniel helped me to dig it out. You wanna see?"

Jack turned his attention from Symon to Daniel.

"Making mud pies?" Jack asked. He didn't even attempt to contain his grin at the sight.

Daniel's pants were rolled up halfway up his calves and his bare feet were just as muddy as Symon's. His face was smudged with dirt and when he went to push up his glasses, he left another muddy streak across the bridge of his nose. But most important to Jack's view was that Daniel was grinning back. He looked...relaxed, at ease.

"Yeah well," Daniel said. He didn't appear overly concerned about his appearance, but took the damp cloth Gryta offered him and scrubbed his hands. Alekos handed Daniel a piece of the sweet bread, which Daniel accepted with a murmured thanks.

Jack settled back in his chair and relaxed. Yeah, life was good.

  
****

"Daniel?"

"Yeah, Jack?"

Jack turned over in his bed and gave Daniel what he hoped was his best commanding officer look. "Are you planning to go to bed?"

Daniel stared at him as if Jack had spoken in a language he'd never heard before. He blinked a few times and then pushed up his glasses. "I'm reading a book Alekos gave me. Gryta has done digs for years at the site we're going to in the morning and I thought I should have a little more background on..."

"Uht," Jack warned, holding up an index finger. "If you don't get some sleep, you're gonna snooze your way through the whole trip."

Daniel gave a huff. "I stay up late all the time. I hardly think I need you to tell me to go to bed."

"Okay," Jack said. "But just remember you can't stop at a Starbucks on the way to the site. I don't think our hosts have discovered coffee." Jack turned over in bed and hid his smile in his pillow.

"No coffee."

He heard Daniel whisper the phrase with something akin to dismay. Sure enough in less than ten minutes the light was turned off and he heard the quiet sounds of Daniel getting comfortable in his bed.

****  
I wonder if the Dioni have a history of... Daniel's thoughts brought him fully back to alertness. He had to check the book Alekos had given him. He wanted to look at the drawings of the tablets Gryta and Alekos had uncovered a few years previously.

He got out of bed, grateful for the moonlight streaming through the open window. Daniel paused a moment. There was the smell of smoke--an acrid odor as if someone was burning leaves. But it wasn't the season for that, Daniel realized as he stepped closer to the window---and the smoke wasn't drifting in from the open window.

"Jack!" he shouted and Jack had rolled out of bed and was by his side before Daniel could call his name a second time.

"Daniel?"

"Fire. I think the house is on fire," he spoke the words far more calmly than he felt, each syllable precise, because panic would put everyone's lives in danger. He moved to the door, not opening it, but placing his hand against it to check for heat.

Jack banged on the wall yelling Teal'c and Sam's names while Daniel got to his knees.

"We've got to get out of here," Daniel said. "Get the others."

Jack nodded. He handed Daniel a shirt and motioned for him to it put around his mouth and nose. Daniel nodded and did so without comment. He cautiously opened the door as soon as Jack was by him on the floor.

The smoke was thick above their heads and Daniel kept his head down, traversing the hall by more memory than by sight.

"Fire!" he heard Jack call in a rough voice. The smoke thinned near the end of the hall, near Alekos and Gryta's chambers.

Daniel grabbed at the wall and got to a crouch to look around. He could see a large shape further down the hall, a shape that he believed to be Teal'c.

Symon. God, where was Symon's room? Looking back had momentarily disoriented him and he lost track of where he was. A rush of air alerted to him to someone's nearby presence.

"Here. Take him!"

A bundle was placed in his arms and Daniel looked up to see Alekos' grim face.

"Go, Daniel! I must get my wife."

Alekos' hands gripped his shoulders tightly, turned him in the opposite direction and pushed urgently.

Get out, get out, the words became his mantra as he clutched Symon close to his chest. The smoke grew thicker, but he kept moving, placing the shirt covering his mouth down over Symon's. The boy squirmed in his arms, but Daniel didn't have breath to tell him not to move.

Tears came to his eyes--the smoke burning them. He could hear the far off sound of bells. He had to make it, had to get them both out. Nothing mattered but getting into the clean air.

And then someone grabbed him again, pulling him up and away and into the night.

"DanielJackson."

Teal'c--it was Teal'c. Daniel nodded at him although his vision wasn't quite clear and took in a deep breath before coughing.

"Sam? Jack?"

"They are safe," Teal'c said, his hand resting on Daniel's back. "I can take the child."

Daniel shook his head and held Symon closer--Symon who was now crying for his parents and fighting Daniel's hold on him.

A large vehicle pulled across the grass, men and women jumping off even as it moved. One of the women came to them.

"Is any one injured? Anyone in the house?"

Daniel nodded. "Alekos? Gryta? I don't think..." he stopped to cough again and now Jack was by his side and he didn't remember Jack being there before.

Someone else came, another person from the truck and Daniel was guided to a place where he could sit and a mask was placed over his face and he was told to breathe. Over his objections, the crying child was taken from his arms. It wasn't right, Daniel wanted to say, but he needed all his energy to breathe whatever was coming through the mask.

  
****

Daniel watched stony-faced as Alekos' brother, Galen, transferred a sleeping Symon to his other shoulder.

"Thank you," he said. Galen didn't smile--Daniel couldn't recall seeing the man smile since he'd arrived in the city two days ago. But to be fair, it couldn't have been easy watching as his older brother and his wife were put to rest and having their young son transferred to his care.

"Where will you go, Galen?" Sam asked. She kept her voice low, as they all did, although Daniel doubted anything would wake Symon at this point. He only wished the boy were awake as SG-1 said goodbye. Still he didn't have the heart to wake the child for his own selfish reasons. Would Symon remember SG-1 as he grew older? Would he remember taking Daniel on a treasure hunt? Or would his only memories of them be of the tragedy that took his parents away? Daniel didn't know. He wasn't sure he even wanted an answer.

"I will take Symon back home with me. I thought perhaps after a time I would sell the farm." He looked away for a moment before continuing. "What is left of it. The land is still good."

Daniel swallowed hard. Yet another loss for Symon. Galen lived in a large city, not a place for a child who'd lived most of his life in the country or on digs with his parents. He was sure Symon would adjust. After all, the child had no choice. Children never did.

"Thank you, Doctor Jackson," Galen said and extended his hand. Daniel clasped the man's forearm in a gesture of goodwill. Why Galen chose to thank him when Daniel had failed to prevent the deaths of Symon's parents, Daniel didn't know.

He nodded, his mouth too dry to speak. Jack said something to his right and Daniel turned away and began to dial the Gate. The wormhole formed and the noise woke Symon. The boy looked at all of them and smiled sleepily. Galen patted the child on his back and stepped further back. Daniel turned to the wormhole and walked through without looking back.

****

"In conclusion, I recommend that a diplomatic team be sent to Dioni to establish a trade treaty," Jack said. He leaned back in his chair as he finished his report to General Hammond.

"Doctor Jackson?" Hammond asked. "Your opinion?"

Jack turned slightly sideways to look at Daniel. They'd returned from Dioni a few hours ago, and Daniel remained quiet. Fraiser had checked them all out and pronounced them all in perfect health.

"I concur, sir," Daniel replied in a flat tone that Jack didn't like one bit. "I'll have my formal report on your desk in the morning."

"I think under the circumstances, I can wait a few more days," Hammond pointed out, his voice gentle.

"It will be done by morning, sir," Daniel said quietly. "This won't affect my work."

"Thank you, Doctor Jackson." Hammond nodded and glanced around the table once more. Jack gave a little jerk of his head towards Hammond's office door when the general's eyes met his. He turned his head away only to see Daniel staring at him intently. He gave a little shrug and smile, but Daniel's jaw was set in that way that let Jack know Daniel wasn't falling for any of it.

"SG-1, dismissed," Hammond said. There was the sound of creaking as chairs slid back from the briefing table and a slight clatter as Carter and Daniel gathered folders, paper, pens, and pencils.

"Dinner at Luigi's? Eighteen hundred hours?" Jack asked. It wasn't that he expected Daniel to be over the shock of what happened on the mission this quickly--he was sure all of them would have nightmares for days to come, but getting away from the mountain after a grueling mission always seemed to help. There was something grounding about eavesdropping on other peoples' conversations about soccer practice and what went on at the office--something that reminded them, or Jack at least, exactly why they kept stepping through the Gate. Luigi's didn't have the pool table or the dart games or even the great steaks O'Malley's had, but hey, beggars couldn't be choosers and they did make decent pizza.

"Sounds good, sir," Carter said.

"Yes, O'Neill," Teal'c added.

Jack looked at Daniel, still intent on organizing his folders. "Daniel?"

Daniel looked up and then pushed his glasses up with an index finger. "Um, no. Sorry. I'm gonna have to pass. I have work to catch up on."

"All work and no play..." Jack began only to be interrupted by Daniel holding up that same index finger.

"My department is a little short-handed right now. I'll see all of you later." Daniel gave them an apologetic smile. "Have fun," he called over his shoulder as he left the room.

Okay, so that went well. Not. Jack sighed. Looked like he was going to be visiting Daniel's office after he got done filling Hammond in on all the details of the incident in the museum.

  
****

Daniel turned over on his side and blinked at the alarm clock. Three zero zero. Or as Jack would say, oh three hundred. Either way it meant way too early, or way too late. Daniel supposed it was all a matter of perspective.

He flipped onto his back and stared up at his ceiling--a useless pursuit considering he couldn't actually see the ceiling. His stomach rumbled and he moved one hand to rub his abdomen in a circular motion. Eating something wouldn't help--it would only make him nauseous. He'd learned that over the past couple of weeks. He closed his eyes, only to snap them open a few minutes later. He thought working longer hours would help quiet his mind at night, but it hadn't helped. No sooner would he get into bed and all the thoughts he managed to hold at bay during work popped up in random spurts. Giving a huff of disgust, Daniel pushed down the comforter and got out of bed. No point in wasting time lying in bed doing nothing when he could be at the SGC doing something.

Shower, shave, dress--simple routine. Daniel leaned against the shower wall and wondered why it was that once he was out of bed and upright, he suddenly felt as if he could go to sleep. Maybe he needed to get Sam to invent him a bed that could be used in the shower. He shook his head at his folly and turned his full attention to washing his hair.

By four, he was ensconced in his office and looking at the latest pictures from P7R-115. Now all he had to do was find the key to unlock the information hidden in the writings on the tall obelisks. Daniel felt a slight relaxation as he let himself be absorbed into his work.

*****

Buzzing? Surely they didn't have flies or mosquitoes this far underground. Or maybe they did. Maybe it was an alien mosquito or fly a team brought back from off-world. Daniel reached his hand out to try and catch it and nearly fell off his chair. He straightened and looked around his office in embarrassment even though no one was there to be his audience. Phone. It was his phone.

"Jackson," he answered while also hitting the space-bar on his keyboard. He only hoped his little zone-out hadn't caused the loss of any work.

"Hey," Jack's voice came out the phone, sounding alert. "Hammond's moved the briefing on 334 up two hours."

Daniel stared at his computer screen and his heart sank. Damn it all to hell.

"Daniel?"

He looked around wondering who was calling his name and then realized he still held the phone. "Yeah, Jack."

"You okay? You've been kinda..."

"I'm fine," Daniel said, trying to keep his tone light. "Briefing moved up two hours. Got it."

"Yeah," Jack replied although Daniel could hear hesitation in his voice.

"Hey, I gotta go. I have some work I have to finish up," Daniel added before the silence became too long, too uncomfortable. "See you at the briefing." He hung up the receiver before waiting for a reply and set about trying to recover his lost data.

  
*****

"Sir?"

Jack turned from watching Daniel and Teal'c walk around the small stones placed in a pyramid shape on the ground to face Carter. "Yeah?"

She stepped up closer to him. He faced Daniel once more when he noticed her doing the same.

"Sir, I was just wondering," she hesitated and he heard her take a deep breath before she continued. "Colonel, I'm worried about Daniel."

"Worried?" Jack kept his voice neutral. She wasn't expressing anything he wasn't feeling himself.

"He's not...himself," Sam finally said as though she was choosing each word with delicacy.

"Irritable, short-tempered, distracted?" Jack asked. "More than usual?"

"Daniel may argue about things he believes strongly, sir, but I would hardly label his usual behavior as irritable or short-tempered." Sam looked down at the ground and scuffed the dirt with the toe of her boot.

"It's not affecting his work," Jack said. "Is it?"

"No sir." But she sounded sad.

"Carter," Jack began and then cleared his throat. "I'm keeping an eye on him, okay? But this is...Daniel's a private kinda guy."

"Yes sir," she said, a little too brightly but it was enough it seemed for the moment.

That was the crux of it, wasn't it, Jack mused. Daniel was a private guy. It wasn't as though Jack was going to invite him home for pizza and beer one evening and Daniel was going to spill all his emotions to tell Jack just what the hell was going on in that brain that went a million miles a minute. He was also sure he wasn't going to get Daniel to go to visit Mackenzie either. He'd continue to keep an eagle eye on Daniel, to monitor his work. The minute Daniel performed at less than one hundred percent, that would be time enough to bring things to a head.

"Daniel," he called and sighed when the only response he got was a vague wave in his direction. Guess it was time to play 'retrieve the archaeologist.'

"Daniel," Jack said when he got close enough to snag his friend's jacket--not that he did. That action would have gone over like the proverbial lead balloon.

"Hmm..." Daniel answered. He'd gotten to hands and knees and was still studying the little pyramid. "Problem?" He twisted slightly and peered up at Jack over one shoulder.

"Nooo," Jack drew the word out. "Just wondering what's so interesting over here."

"Oh," Daniel replied while he scribbled something in one of the notebooks he always seemed to have in plentiful supply.

"See here's the way this works," Jack patiently explained, "I ask what's interesting and you tell me what you're doing."

"You did not ask DanielJackson a question, O'Neill," Teal'c pointed out. "You merely made a statement."

"Thank you, Teal'c," Jack said. "So Daniel, whatcha doin?"

"I'm studying this pyramid, Jack."

"Pyramid," Jack echoed. "Aren't they supposed to be, oh I don't know, big or something?"

"This one obviously is not," Teal'c helpfully put in.

"This one is obviously just a bunch of rocks in a heap," Jack said. When Daniel looked at him, he shrugged his shoulders. "In a pyramid shape. Isn't it?"

"Yes, but the question is why are they like this?" Daniel asked. He stood and faced Jack.

"And the answer is?" Jack prodded.

"I have no idea," Daniel replied. "The stones have obviously been placed this way for a reason, but why or who placed them here..." He shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea."

Jack nodded. "Let's pack it up."

He waited while Daniel took a few last pictures of the mysterious stones and then gave the order for SG-1 to head back to the Gate.

****

Daniel shifted his weight from one foot to the other and felt about the size of a worm. He couldn't believe he'd just done that: yelled at one of the lab assistants, who was now staring at him as if he'd grown two heads. Staring at him with her hands crossed over her hugely pregnant belly.

"I'll have the results sent to you within the next hour, Doctor Jackson," she said. Her voice held just a slight waver.

"Thank you," Daniel replied sheepishly. He shook his head. "Lora, I'm sorry. I don't know what...there's really no excuse though is there?" He gave what he hoped was an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry."

She smiled back. "Apology accepted. And I *will* have the results to you within the hour."

He nodded his understanding and Daniel left the lab with his face burning. He was sure the archaeology department would be all abuzz with the little report of Doctor Jackson's public display of temper. He revised that thought as he walked down the hall. Knowing the SGC, the report would be flying through every department by the end of the next hour. He was sure the study of gossip in closed communities would make an interesting anthropological study.

"Daniel!"

He stopped and turned to find Sam coming towards him at an almost run. She was waving a paper in the air and her eyes lit with excitement.

"You've got to see this," she said, as she caught up with him. "Remember that device we found on P7Y-990? We've finally gotten it to work. Your translation was correct--it is a holographic projector."

Daniel felt a smile come to his lips--and Sam's enthusiasm was contagious. "So what are we waiting for? You going to show it to me?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Sam laughed and grabbed his arm. He followed her towards the elevators, her chatter filling the space that had recently felt so empty.

  
****

Grateful for the sunglasses that hid his eyes from view, Jack watched as Daniel spoke to the elder of the village. Whatever rough spot Daniel had gone through appeared to be over. At least it was judging by the way Daniel was enthusiastically gesturing about whatever he and his new friend were discussing.

Carter was smiling at the conversation although Jack doubted she had no more of an idea of the discussion than he did. Even Teal'c wore a look of approval at their teammate's obvious comfort in the situation.

The village elder laughed at whatever Daniel had just said and slapped Daniel on the back in obvious delight.

"Daniel? Care to share?" Jack asked.

Daniel turned to face them. "Iweri said they are most pleased to have more friends from the Sky Circle. We are invited to dine with them at sundown and until then we're allowed to see the pleasures their village has to offer."

Jack nodded and then smiled at the old man who stood by Daniel's side. "Tell him we appreciate the hospitality."

Daniel said something in rapid-fire speech. Iweri responded and then made an open-handed gesture that seemed to be a universal sign for welcome and walked away.

"So...Daniel," Jack said and waited.

"What?" Daniel looked at Jack.

"I'm figuring since you just made friendly with the locals, you might want to be our tour guide?"

"Oh. Um, yeah," Daniel agreed. He walked backwards a few steps, motioning for the rest of them to follow. "Iweri told me they have a temple that's dedicated to their old gods. That would probably be a good place to start."

Jack realized that he should have known there'd be a temple or two, or barring that, some old building filled with treasures, that would make Daniel's eyes light up.

"Teal'c, Carter, how about you two do some scouting over," Jack turned in a small circle, "that way," he pointed. "Daniel and I will check out the old boring stuff."

"Jack," Daniel said.

"Yes, Daniel?"" Jack responded using his best innocent voice.

"Never mind."

"You are so easy to rile," Jack teased as he and Daniel started their journey through the village. "I can get you every time."

* * * *

Daniel concentrated on taking a few deeper breaths, but it didn't make the burning feeling in his gut go away. Beside him, Jack had gone silent. The open courtyard in the inner area of the temple was populated by children, but not the boisterous children they'd seen playing throughout the village as they'd walked to the temple. These children looked at them with eyes that followed their every move, assessing them perhaps, before turning back to their quiet play.

He turned to the priest who'd welcomed them into the temple. "What is the meaning of this? Why are they here?" Daniel asked. He thought his voice sounded very calm considering the turmoil in his soul.

The priest looked back at him as if genuinely puzzled. "These?"

"Yes, these," Daniel replied. "The children."

"They wait," the priest answered.

"Daniel?" Jack asked in his ear. "Mind telling me what's going on?"

"Not now," Daniel said and brushed at his shoulder, sensing rather than seeing Jack take a step back. "They wait. What for?"

"Until one is needed by one of the village." The priest took a few steps forward. "Then the child will leave with who chooses."

Daniel followed the man, shaking off the hand Jack put out to stop him. "Where do they go? When they are chosen?"

The priest lifted his shoulders and then gestured widely. "Among the people. Wherever they are needed, wherever they are wanted."

One of the children, a dark-eyed, dark-haired girl of perhaps eight or so looked up at Daniel. She opened her mouth but looked away before she said a word.

Daniel squatted down before her, ignoring the sound of disapproval the priest made and aware that Jack had come to his side once again. "Hello. My name is Daniel."

The girl pulled a small bundle closer to her side. When she spoke, Daniel had to strain to hear her. "Have you come for me? To take me away?"

The burning feeling that had been in his gut now spread to his chest. He didn't know what to say. There was nothing he could say. He shook his head in answer to her question when his voice failed.

She placed her bundle back on the floor. "I understand, kind sir. I would not be a good child for you and your wife." She bowed her head and was quiet.

"It's not...my wife is dead," Daniel blurted out, wanting to take away her pain. "I come from a faraway land. I...I'm sorry." He reached out to touch the back of her small hand, wishing she would look at him once again so he could let her know it would be all right but she pulled away.

The priest knelt down beside Daniel and spoke in a harsh whisper. "You have done enough damage. Go. Go now before you make any of them hope for more."

Daniel got to his feet, suddenly feeling large and out of place in this children's hall. He put out his hand pushing against something in his way and strode out of the temple, almost blind with anger. His breath came out in harsh gasps as he walked through the village.

He stopped abruptly when someone grabbed his arm.

"What the hell went on in there?"

Jack. It was Jack. Daniel blinked a few times.

"The children," was all he could manage to say.

"Yeah," Jack said. "So what was the whole conversation about?"

"It's an orphanage," Daniel explained. "Or at least a holding place for the unwanted children of the village."

"They looked like they were well cared for," Jack pointed out. "And they appeared to be happy."

Daniel ground his boot into the dirt before he looked up. "They appeared to be happy? Couldn't you see their eyes, Jack? That little girl? She wanted to know if I was there to pick her out. To take her home to my wife," he finished with a small humorless laugh.

"You think these people mis-treat the kids?" Jack asked. An underlying coolness in his tone that told Daniel if he said yes, Jack would take the village apart by hand until he found those responsible.

Daniel shook his head. "No. I'm sure they don't. In this society children are valued."

"Then what..."

"She needed someone. They all do. I could see it in all of them--the hope that maybe this time whoever came was coming for..."

Jack's breath came out in a low whistle. "This isn't about them at all," he said.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Daniel asked, "What's that supposed to mean? Damn it, Jack, you were in there. You *saw* them."

"Yes I did," Jack said. "I did *see* them, and I gotta tell you, they looked fine to me."

"They aren't fine," Daniel argued, his voice growing louder. "They're alone."

"Calm down." Jack gripped Daniel's upper arm. "This isn't the place to discuss your problems."

Daniel moved his arm to try to loosen Jack's grip, but it didn't work. For some reason it made him even angrier and he twisted slightly. "Let go of me," Daniel demanded between gritted teeth. "And it's not *my* problem. It's what they're doing."

Jack ignored him and thumbed his radio. "Carter, Teal'c. Meet us back at the village gates ASAP. We've got a little situation here."

"You think those kids being in there is okay?" Daniel heard himself say. He walked automatically when Jack tugged on his arm. "You think it's right for them to warehouse those kids until they are wanted?" A small part of his brain told him he was being irrational, but another far larger part felt the indignity of being led through the village as if he was a recalcitrant child.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Iweri come running from a small group of men gathered by a fountain.

"What has happened? Have we offended?" Iweri asked as he looked from Daniel to Jack and back again. "Has someone harmed one of your people?"

Daniel translated for Jack automatically, forcing all emotion from his voice.

"Tell him we need to go home. That there's been a necessary change in our plans," Jack ordered.

"But...," Daniel said.

"Tell him others will come through the Stargate. That we are looking forward to more contact with his people."

Daniel nodded then. He didn't like the way Jack's voice had gone flat. He translated the words and accepted Iweri's sympathies and hope for more contact with the Tau'ri.

"Sir? What's going on?" Sam asked to Daniel's right. He hadn't even been aware of her and Teal'c's approaching.

"Just a little misunderstanding," Jack explained and then motioned for them to move out.

Daniel looked back at the village as they went through the wooden gates and swore he could hear one small child crying for someone to take her home.

  
****

Jack hesitated before the locker room door. The debriefing with General Hammond had been quick. Daniel had remained quiet throughout and left like he'd been released from a prison at Hammond's dismissal. Jack had had a few quiet words with the general after the rest of the team left. Daniel wasn't going to be happy with the results of that, but there was no way Jack was taking Daniel off-world until he could be sure Daniel was one hundred percent.

"Sir?"

"Yeah Carter?" Jack shoved a hand in his pocket instead of rubbing at his forehead where he could feel a headache starting.

"It's Daniel, sir. He hasn't been the same since our mission to Dioni. Since Alekos and Gryta were killed. I think...I'm worried he blames himself for their deaths."

"I know, Carter," he answered. He looked at her. "I've talked to Hammond. Daniel and I are going to be taking some time off."

She bit her lower lip and he hoped to God she wasn't going to show any tears. But all she did was nod her head in understanding.

"We'll be waiting, sir." She smiled, although Jack could see the effort it took, and slipped back down the hall, probably to speak to Teal'c.

Jack hesitated only a moment longer and then opened the door.

"Daniel?" he called. He knew his friend was still in the locker room. He certainly hadn't left while Jack was outside the door gathering courage to enter and the shower was still running.

The water shut off abruptly. Jack heard someone moving and then Daniel came from the shower stall, his blue bathrobe pulled tightly around him.

"Come to check up on me? Can't trust me to take a shower?"

Jack hated the bitterness in Daniel's tone, something any of them rarely heard, but Jack suspected the anger currently being directed at him was actually Daniel's own anger at himself.

He studied his boots while Daniel dressed. Jack looked up when the locker door slammed shut.

"We're taking some time off," he told Daniel.

"We?" Daniel asked. "I'm glad you've decided to take a vacation, but I have plenty of work to do here." He leaned back against the locker with arms crossed over his chest.

"You don't understand, Daniel," Jack said, keeping his voice low even though they didn't have an audience. "Until this gets straightened out, you're not going through the gate."

"Let me finish up here and then we'll go see General Hammond. I'm sure he'd like to hear about this plan of yours." Daniel's voice rose, an indication to Jack of just how serious the situation was.

"Feel free, but I've already spoken to Hammond. As of fifteen hundred hours today you're on compassionate leave," Jack informed him. " You're not kicked off the team, but you can't go through the Gate if you're not operating at one hundred percent."

Daniel opened his mouth to say something but then clicked it shut as if he had revised his opinion. He pushed past Jack, went out the door, and headed for the elevators.

Jack waited only a moment before following. This might have been the biggest gamble he'd ever taken--and he had the feeling that what happened over the next few days would make or break his friendship with Daniel. He was going to fight like hell to make sure it turned out positive.

*****

Jack was following him--a quiet shadow, as Daniel went through the business of leaving the Mountain. He checked his rear-view mirror again, and sure enough, Jack's truck still was still there. Anger took too much energy to sustain and the burning feeling of earlier replaced by a deep sadness. He didn't understand that. The children in the temple orphanage * had * been well-treated and obviously loved just like he was sure Symon was being cared for and loved by his uncle Galen.

And why had he turned on Jack? Daniel didn't understand that either. Jack had only spoken the truth about the children. Even Jack's decision to end the mission had, Daniel admitted to himself, been the right thing to do.

Compassionate leave? What the hell was that supposed to mean? He'd taken the obligatory leave when Sha're was killed, when all his hope for a happy ending with the woman he loved had been taken from him in an instant. His team had been there for him--steadfast, loving, caring--and life went on. So what was this with compassionate leave? He had no one left to mourn.

Pulling into the parking garage at his apartment building, Daniel no longer cared if Jack was behind him or not. He doubted it. Parking was at a premium around his building. He stopped to get the mail from his box and rifled through it in the elevator. Junk mail, junk mail, catalog, notice from the apartment management about a repair done to the water line two days previously. Daniel got out of the elevator, still reading the notice, even though it was a moot point. He opened his apartment door, kicking it closed behind him, continuing to check his mail. Another catalog, letter from his lawyer.

Letter from his lawyer. Daniel tossed the rest of the mail on the coffee table and sat down on his sofa. He held the letter in one hand, already knowing what it was probably about. Opening the envelope, he scanned the document within.

Nick's estate was finally closed. The final bill to the mental health facility paid, all outstanding debts settled. Daniel placed the letter back in the envelope and leaned back on the sofa covering his eyes with his arm. It was over.

He heard a knock at the door but really didn't want to bother to get up. Maybe if he got lucky whoever it was would just go away. He felt bone-tired. Maybe he could go to bed and sleep for a week, or two or three. Even the sound of a key in the lock didn't make him move from his position.

"Jack," he said when he heard the door close. "I don't need a babysitter."

"That's good, because I've done the whole diaper changing thing once before. Don't want to ever go through that again," Jack replied.

There was a creak as Jack sat down in the chair to Daniel's right and then silence.

"Want some coffee?" Daniel asked when the silence stretched too long between them.

"Sounds good," Jack replied and then was quiet again.

Daniel got up and walked past him--having the feeling that this was going to be like an elephant in the living room. He could ignore Jack all he wanted, but Jack wasn't going to go away. He started the coffee maker and came back to sit on the sofa.

No, Jack wasn't going to just go away but he didn't know what Jack wanted. How could he tell Jack what was going on when he wasn't sure himself? And how he could take compassionate leave when he didn't have anyone to mourn?

"So how's it been going?" Jack asked.

Daniel looked at him and saw concern in Jack's eyes. He wished he had an answer for him. "Oh you know, same old, same old." New paragraph

He got up again, going to the kitchen to check the coffee maker, anything to get away from the situation. He heard Jack moving around and ignored it, concentrating instead on watching the coffee fill the carafe. He poured himself and Jack a mug, taking a sip of his own to fortify himself as he walked back to the living room. Jack stood by some pictures on the mantle.

"Never saw these before," Jack said, pointing to them. "They new even though they're old?"

Daniel placed both mugs on the coffee table. "They came from Nick. I got a couple of boxes of his stuff after he...well after."

"This your mom?"

Glancing up, Daniel was surprised Jack wasn't picking every picture frame up. He sighed and went to Jack. "Mom and Nick and my grandmother, Louisa. She died in childbirth when mom was about two or three."

Daniel pointed to the next picture in the line. "Nick's parents on their wedding day. Thomas and Helena. They were dead long before I came in the picture." He touched the next one with his index finger. "My mom's graduation picture."

"Let me guess," Jack said, pointing to the next one in line. "You?"

"Me and Mom. I think Dad took that when I was about two or three weeks old."

"That's it?" Jack asked as he stepped away and got his coffee mug.

"Nick didn't have much left." Daniel shrugged, retrieving his own mug. "But he kept every picture my mom and dad ever sent him. I have another box to go through."

"Sooo," Jack said, drawing the word out.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"You want some help?"

"Help to...oh, go through the box?" Daniel guessed. "I think it's gonna be sort of boring for you, Jack."

"I don't have anything better to do with my time."

Daniel shrugged again, drained his coffee mug, and went to get the other box.

  
****

Jack leaned back on the sofa and surveyed the photos spread over the coffee table. They'd given up trying to organize them long ago and had settled for simply placing them in neater piles. Daniel was now going through a stack of papers held together with a piece of butcher's twine.

From what Jack could see of the discarded papers, most of them were news clippings of various archaeological finds. Daniel's head bent low and Jack heard him talking to himself as he checked out yet another paper.

"Guess Nick was a little obsessive," Daniel said, looking up.

Daniel could do with a nice long night's sleep, judging from the darkening circles under his eyes, but Jack doubted that suggestion would go over well. He settled for shrugging his shoulders at Daniel's comment. "You find anything interesting?"

His friend shook his head. "He must have been saving these papers for years." Daniel turned his attention back to the papers on his lap.

"Should I make some more coffee?" Jack asked. At Daniel's nod, he got up and went to the kitchen. His bladder was so going to regret drinking this much coffee this late at night, but he filled the basket with the required amount of grounds and poured the water in the reservoir anyway. He pushed the button to start the machine and opened Daniel's cupboard in search of the cookies he was sure Daniel had stashed somewhere. He grabbed an open pack of Oreos and walked back to the living room.

"Want some?" Jack mumbled around a mouthful of chocolate and creme. Daniel ignored him, a piece of paper held in his hands.

"Daniel?" Jack tossed the cookie package on the sofa before going to stand by Daniel's chair.

"I'm surprised he saved this," Daniel said with a trace of bitterness. He leaned forward as if to put the paper on the pile with all the others but kept hold.

"May I?" Jack asked and reached out to take it.

"Huh?" Daniel looked up as if he'd noticed Jack for the first time. "Yeah, sure." He handed the small paper over and then looked away, back to the remaining papers.

It was a small card from a funeral home--a card that evidently had been given to the mourners at Daniel's parents' funeral. It listed their names, the dates of their births and deaths, the date, time, and place of the service, and the name of the officinal.

Jack glanced at the other papers Daniel was rapidly placing on the pile: a laminated sheet containing his parents' obituaries, an official looking letter from the State of New York, and finally a worn envelope with Nick's name on it and a return address of D. Jackson in the upper left-hand corner.

"Daniel?"

Jack remembered taking a dive off the high dive at the Kilgore Community Pool when he was about twelve--a dare from friends and not being able to say no even though he didn't know how to dive. Now he was reliving that same feeling of being punched in the gut as he looked down into the water so far away .

"You never really dealt with this, did you?"

Daniel got up and walked past him into the kitchen. He poured himself a mug of coffee and took a sip before he finally turned back to look at Jack who had followed him. "I'm thirty four Jack. Of course I * dealt * with it. How could I not?"

"That's not what I meant." Jack leaned against the counter.

"My parents died when I was eight, my grandfather couldn't take me with him because of his work, I lived with a grand total of two foster families both of whom treated me well, and I grew up. Is that enough?"

"You saw a child's parents killed--a child who reminded you of what it was like for you."

Daniel shook his head. "You're forgetting one important point. Symon wasn't me. Do you think I'm that screwed up, Jack?"

"Irritability, trouble sleeping, anger, inability to perform work to usual standards--all of which have lasted more than a month. Any of that sound familiar to you, Daniel?" Jack asked. "And for the record, no, I don't think you're screwed up. I think you've been through a hell of lot though--some of which has brought back some memories that are no so nice."

"Well, thank you, Doctor O'Neill," Daniel's voice dripped with sarcasm. He placed the coffee mug in the sink. "Make yourself at home. I'm going to bed."

Jack watched as Daniel went to the bedroom.

Great job, O'Neill, Jack told himself and frowned. What the hell was he going to do now?

* * * *

Daniel punched his pillow as he turned to his side. He could feel a headache starting, probably because he was clenching his jaw. He gave up lying on his side and flipped on his back. There was silence from the living room, which meant Jack had either bedded down on the sofa or had decided to go home. Daniel was guessing the former since he hadn't heard the door open or close and he certainly hadn't fallen asleep.

Who did Jack think he was anyway? What gave him the right to come into Daniel's home, uninvited, and start pushing to discuss things Daniel didn't want to talk about? Daniel had gotten over his feelings of abandonment long ago. Probably right about the time he'd realized that although Nick was the only family he had left, Nick wasn't going to be the family Daniel wanted him to be. And that was okay. At least looking back Daniel thought it was okay. He didn't know if he and Nick would have gotten along so well. Certainly their relationship as adults had been rocky. He wondered what his mom and dad would have thought about that. Of course, if his parents hadn't died, then his relationship with Nick would have been the same as it had been when they were alive---a few brief encounters each year, but no ill feelings, just people too busy with their own work and their own lives to spend much time together.

Rolling over again, Daniel stared at the clock. It didn't help him fall asleep. He pushed himself up and out of the bed and then stood by it wondering what he should do next.

Decision made, he made his way to the kitchen, not even taking particular care to be quiet. He got out a quart of milk and realized he was going to have to go grocery shopping. The inside of his refrigerator looked pretty pathetic. He grabbed a glass, some chocolate syrup, and a spoon and sat down at the dining room table. Moonlight filtered through the balcony doors and he suddenly felt too tired to get up and close the drapes.

A few pictures and papers had been moved to the table during the course of the evening. Daniel glanced at them as he stirred the syrup into his milk. He pulled one closer. It was of his mom and dad sitting on a bench with their arms around each other. It was slightly off center, slightly blurry, and Daniel smiled. He had taken that picture with the camera they'd given him for Christmas. In the moonlight, they looked ghostly, blurred, indistinct. And even though it had been almost thirty years, seeing them frozen in time--young, healthy, smiling--made him miss them as if they'd died only yesterday. Years didn't necessarily erase the feelings of loss that seemed to return anew.

He'd come to accept their deaths; he'd had no choice. He didn't spend much time wondering about 'what ifs', but sometimes in the quiet darkness he couldn't help but fall into that trap.

"God I miss you, Mom, Dad," he whispered, his words sounded loud in the silence. Strong hands took hold of his shoulders, squeezing gently, and Daniel swallowed hard. He should have known Jack would be there when he needed him to be.

  
* * * *

Daniel pushed the grocery cart down the frozen food aisle. Jack grabbed a couple of frozen pizzas and threw them in the cart.

"We need lunch," Jack explained when Daniel glared at him.

"I don't want frozen pizza," Daniel said. He opened a door and grabbed a bag of broccoli.

"I hope you don't expect me to eat that." Jack pointed at the hapless vegetable.

"I hope you don't expect me to feed you." Daniel turned at the end of the aisle and went over the dairy section. Standing in front of the cheese case, he debated, trying to decide between cheddar or swiss.

"So when's the last time you visited your parents?" Jack asked casually as if discussing the weather.

Muenster, Daniel decided. Not cheddar or swiss. Muenster. He grabbed a pack and placed it in the cart. And found he couldn't make himself move away.

"Daniel," Jack said.

Daniel gripped the cart tighter. He could see his knuckles turning white. And here he thought Jack actually was being a friend.

"You've never..." Jack guessed. A pretty good guess Daniel had to admit, but this wasn't the place to talk about it.

"No," Daniel confirmed. He was surprised at how well he kept his voice low so that no one else would overhear the conversation. "The funeral, yes, the cemetery no." He started pushing the cart again. He hadn't noticed the squeaky wheel previously but now the sound grated on his nerves and set his teeth on edge. He pulled a fifty and a twenty from his wallet and handed them to Jack. His voice seemed to have deserted him and he only pointed to the exit. Jack nodded.

The parking lot wasn't full this time of day, and the walk to the car wasn't long. Daniel got in his car, grateful for the silence and peace. He put his head back on the head rest and closed his eyes, only to open them again and bang his hand, hard, on the steering wheel. He thought of driving home and leaving Jack stranded, but they were * his * groceries so he sat and watched the door and waited.

* * * *

Jack finished loading the groceries in the trunk of Daniel's car. He'd come out to the parking lot pretty much expecting to see an empty spot where Daniel's car had been. But Daniel was never one for running away from the hard stuff.

It hadn't been very fair, Jack admitted as he took the cart back to the store. Ambushing your best friend in the grocery store about his long dead parents wasn't fair at all. Jack hadn't planned it--he was as surprised as Daniel when he blurted the question out. But the wall had been breeched. Now the real question remaining was if Daniel was going to allow Jack in or build a stronger wall.

* * * *

"I'm sorry," Jack offered as he got in the car. Daniel deserved that apology.

Daniel looked at him and nodded once. "Thank you."

"What do you want to do about it?" Jack asked.

Daniel turned away and started the car. "Do about it?" Daniel asked when they were back on the street.

"You've never been to your parents' graves, Daniel," Jack pointed out. "Don't you want to go visit them?"

"My parents are dead, Jack. I don't think that going to visit their graves is going to change that."

"Who's the person who's always talking about how important rituals are in cultures? How observing rituals helps people find meaning in their lives?"

Daniel sighed--one Jack recognized as exasperation. He'd heard Charlie make the same sigh when Jack had told him 'no' for the thousandth time.

"Okay," Daniel conceded. "I'll go. And then after I do, you'll let it rest, right?"

Jack nodded. "I'll let it rest. I'll make the arrangements for a flight when we get back to your place. Then I'll go to my house and pack a bag."

"What's with the 'we'?" Daniel asked. "I thought I was going alone."

"You're not," Jack said and Daniel sighed again before glancing at Jack once more.

"After we do this, you're not going to mention it again, are you?"

"Promise," Jack agreed.

Daniel muttered something under his breath. Jack chose to ignore it. He didn't think he wanted to know what it was.

  
* * * *

He hadn't been able to eat breakfast. Which was stupid if you thought about it. It was just a cemetery, just a bunch of stones in manicured lawns. Daniel was glad it was sunny. It gave him an excuse to wear his sunglasses and hide his eyes. He stared out the window at the passing scenery; houses built one on top of the other, giving way to green spaces. He had only the vaguest memory of that day in October. He remembered being in the hearse along with Nick, whose suit smelled of mothballs. He remembered going into the chapel at the cemetery, remembered the flowers that rested on the two caskets, red roses, even though his mom hadn't even liked roses. He remembered feeling as if he was walking in a dream and any moment, his dad was going to shake his shoulder and say, "Rise and shine, Danny," just the way he did every morning. He remembered throwing up in the bathroom and Nick telling him to lie down on the couch in the small room and promising he'd be back, even though Daniel wasn't sure he should believe him because his mom and dad had said they'd take care of him and looked at what happened to them. There was a nice lady who sat in the small room with him. She smelled of cough drops and had a little white handkerchief that she used to dab her eyes. She hummed as she fussed over him even though he didn't like the fussing, but then she placed a nice soft blanket over him and he fell asleep with a fan brushing cool air over his face.

"Daniel," Jack's voice was soft, quiet in the way it had been when he'd been lost after his return to Earth from Abydos, the way it had been when Sha're had died.

Daniel looked out the windshield, surprised to see they'd stopped at a small stone house, and even more surprised to see they were in a cemetery.

"We're here?" Daniel asked and then shook his head. "Of course we are. I mean where else would we be..."

"Daniel," Jack said again, interrupting. "Do you want me to find out where the grave is? Or you can...if you want."

"Avenue R, plot 32B," Daniel replied. When Jack looked at him, he shrugged. "I've never been to the grave; it doesn't mean I don't know where it is."

Jack hesitated, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel of the rental car.

"Okay." Daniel said.

Jack finally backed out of the parking space and went down the wide, tree-lined avenue.

"Stop," Daniel ordered. He wished he had a bottle of water or something to make his mouth not so dry. Jack didn't need to do this. Cemeteries couldn't hold any pleasantness for a man who'd buried his only child.

Jack looked at him, one eyebrow raised in question. "You okay?"

Daniel shook his head and then nodded. "No. I mean, yeah. But..." He looked out the window again. "You don't have to do this. You can just drop me off and go back to the hotel. I can get a cab or something."

"Do you have any idea how much a cab ride back to the city would cost from here?" Jack asked. "I can wait for you if you want to go alone. I'll drop you off and you can call on your cell when you're ready."

I don't want to be alone, Daniel wanted to say but he chewed the inside of his cheek so he wouldn't impose.

Jack continued his slow drive through the cemetery and they found the site without much effort.

"Thank you," Daniel said when they stopped. He opened the door and got out.

"You want me to go?" Jack asked.

Daniel stopped, but didn't answer. He didn't know what he wanted.

  
* * * *

Jack watched as Daniel walked to the carved stone and knelt on the ground. He didn't know what he was expecting. He doubted Daniel was going to break down in tears or begin talking to his long dead parents. He turned the key, shutting the engine down and waited.

Daniel brushed the stone lightly with his fingers and Jack smiled. It was such a typical Daniel thing to do.

"A museum patron donated this plot," Daniel said in a voice loud enough to carry back to Jack.

Jack got out of the car and walked to Daniel's side. "Oh, yeah?" he replied.

"My parents didn't have one. And there was no one to contact from Dad's side of the family. There wasn't room in the plot where my maternal grandmother was buried. I guess someone from the museum thought it would be a nice gesture." Daniel didn't look at Jack. He continued to trace the carved letters with his fingers. "I don't know what more I'm supposed to do."

"I don't know either," Jack said. "But I think you need some time alone. I'll be back in a little bit." He squeezed Daniel's shoulder. "If you need me sooner, call on your cell." He waited until Daniel nodded his acknowledgement before he went back to the car.

* * * *

The crunch of the tires on gravel had long since faded. The only sounds were the soft sighing of the wind through some nearby trees and the occasional birdsong. Quiet, peaceful.

He studied the monument with the same intensity he reserved for his work. The letters weren't worn down and he could feel the sharp bite of granite under his fingertips. The stone was simply carved--his parents' names, their birth dates and the date of their deaths. There was no other inscription.

"Mom," Daniel whispered as he pressed his fingers to her name. Unless he looked at a photograph, her face was lost to him. He could no longer hear her voice, couldn't remember the sound of her laughter, but he remembered her holding him close, reading a book to him, and the silvery dress she wore whenever his dad took his mom out for a special occasion.

"Dad," he said and traced his father's name. Like his mom, only photographs could bring his dad's face into sharp focus. He could remember his dad calling him 'Danny' but he couldn't recall the timbre of his father's voice. He could remember his dad's hands over his, helping him to brush dirt from a small potsherd.

Daniel sat back on his heels and smiled. Faces, voices, those were fleeting, but the love his parents had given him--that was what lasted, what remained long after they were gone.

"Thanks," he whispered. He got up and brushed off the knees of his khakis. He heard a car on the gravel and turned to see Jack driving down the lane once more. Daniel walked towards the car, feeling a small peace take root in his soul.

He opened the door and got in. "Thank you, Jack."

"Welcome," Jack said and pointed at the windshield. "You ready to go?"

Nodding, Daniel tilted his head back onto the head rest, a comfortable silence settling between him and Jack. He'd caught a glimpse of the rental car when he stood, parked two avenues over. Knowing his friend had been there, just a shout away, meant more than he could say. Solid foundation, as sure as the one his parents had given him.

* * * *

"Daniel!"

Carter ran to give him a hug, and Jack hid his smile behind a hand.

Daniel's ears had turned red with embarrassment. Nothing like a reunion in the commissary to do that.

"Carter," Jack said, but she ignored him, holding tightly to Daniel as if she'd not seen him in years rather than three weeks.

"It is good to have you back with us, DanielJackson," Teal'c agreed and placed a hand on Daniel's shoulders.

Jack stepped around them and went to get a sandwich and pie. They had come to the commissary to eat after all, not to have a family reunion. He grabbed an extra sandwich for Daniel. He could hear Carter talking a mile-a-minute at him and had no doubt she was already pulling him to a chair to talk even more.

"You look well," Carter was saying to him when Jack came to the table with their lunches. "I'm glad you're back."

"Thanks, Sam." Daniel grabbed a sandwich. "I'm glad to be back."

Jack listened to the on-going conversation with half an ear while he ate and watched Daniel. He * did * look well--better than he had in months. The weeks they'd spent at Jack's cabin after going back East had done wonders for his friend. Daniel was once again sleeping through the night. And Jack now knew more than anyone else on base about Daniel's life before the SGC. The talks they'd had only served to impress Jack even more by Daniel's resilience and tenacity. His team was back together and things felt right. He didn't know if he could ask for more. He finished his pie and sat back. Carter and Daniel were still talking about some new technology SG-7 found on another planet.

"You want to see what you think?" Carter asked Daniel.

Daniel stood up so quickly Jack had to grab the chair before it fell over. "How did Benning translate the inscription?"

"Those who are lost will be found."

"That doesn't make sense," Daniel said as he walked away with Carter. "I think you're going to have to start over. But first I want to see..."

Jack watched them go and then turned back to face Teal'c. "There go the kiddies, off to the playground."

"Indeed," Teal'c replied. He bowed his head even as he stood. "I must return to my duties, O'Neill. I believe I will see you again at the briefing General Hammond has scheduled for us at seventeen hundred hours. And thank you for assisting Daniel Jackson. While he would not admit it, he was much in need."

"Have fun," Jack said to Teal'c's retreating back. Speaking of duties, his office beckoned.

  
* * * *

Dioni looked the same as it had on their last visit. Daniel looked down onto the green fields and the winding roads as the air transport provided for SG-1 took them to the capital city. He wondered how Symon was doing, how Galen was faring in taking care of a child he'd never expected to have.

Jack leaned over and yelled something at him, pointing down to a ribbon of silver water. But Daniel couldn't hear over the rush of air. He smiled and nodded all the same.

The green fields went right to the city limits and they landed in an airfield surrounded by fruit-bearing trees. Another transport was waiting, this time one of the quiet, quick, land vehicles the Dioni used. They were taken to the travelers' inn, where they would be staying overnight, and greeted by a couple that reminded Daniel painfully of a younger version of Alekos and Gryta. The food was plentiful and delicious, the company in the hall enjoyable, and by the time dinner and the entertainment was over, Daniel gladly slipped beneath the warm blankets.

He woke up in the middle of the night and pulled out his flashlight and his papers.

"What ya doin'?" Jack mumbled. "Go back to bed."

"I'm looking over my speech," Daniel said. "Go back to sleep."

"I can't sleep. You're rustling papers."

Daniel flicked the flashlight beam towards Jack. "I am not."

"What are you? Twelve?" Jack grumbled. He sat up and turned to thump his feet down onto the floor.

"I learned from the best," Daniel pointed out. He turned his attention back to the pages he'd written when he'd learned SG-1 was invited to attend a museum opening honoring Alekos and Gryta and he was asked to say a few words. He re-read the third paragraph and frowned. He still wasn't happy with his phrasing. He sighed and dug out a pen, drawing a line through the words.

"Here," Jack offered a few minutes later. Daniel looked up and saw Jack standing there, a mug in one outstretched hand. He accepted the warm drink with a smile. It was the Dionian version of tea-bitter, thick, and enough of a stimulant to keep him alert.

"Read it to me," Jack said and sat beside him on the bed.

"To you?" Daniel asked after he'd taken a sip of the tea, hot and comforting.

"Yeah, to me. I'll be your critic," Jack volunteered. Daniel noticed Jack had a mug of the tea himself.

Daniel took another sip and then glanced down at his papers before beginning.

Jack had remained silent throughout and Daniel looked at him as he finished his speech. "An author from my world once wrote, "The past is only the present become invisible and mute; and because it is invisible and mute, its memoried glances and its murmurs are infinitely precious. We are tomorrow's past.' But for some few, some like Alekos and Gryta, the past is not invisible. It is not mute. For them, the past whispers and sings. And because they hear its music, they bless us by sharing its secrets. I think if Alekos and Gryta were here today, they would invite all of us to listen, to take a moment to hear what the past has to say to us. Like them, I hope we will all take joy in the journey and in the discovery."

  
Daniel coughed once, drained the remaining bit of tea in his mug, and waited. And waited. Until finally Jack shifted his position and cleared his throat.

"That was...It's a good speech, Daniel. A fitting tribute to Alekos and Gryta." Jack cleared his throat again and held up his hand. "Excuse me."

The mattress bounced as Jack got up and entered the small bathroom. Daniel looked down at the papers in his hand. Maybe the tribute he'd written wasn't to Alekos and Gryta after all, maybe he'd written it to his own parents. He wasn't sure anymore, but then again maybe it didn't matter as long as the words were true.

  
* * * *

Polite applause filled the room when Daniel finished his speech and beside Jack, Carter turned her head and wiped at her eyes. Daniel came back to them as the museum director took his place on the dais.

The woman began her speech and Jack thought, not without a bit of pride, that Daniel's had been far better. But he stood at attention and listened to her long-winded phrases because Alekos and Gryta deserved the honor.

It was over soon enough and the doors to the new wing of the museum named after Alekos and Gryta were opened to much fanfare. The crowd thinned as people moved into the other rooms to ooh and ahh over the finds the two archaeologists had made in their careers. SG-1 remained where they were, letting the crowd move away.

"Doctor Jackson?"

Jack turned along with Daniel, on alert.

"Galen," Daniel said, offering his hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize you'd come to the ceremony."

Unlike the last time they'd seen the man, this time Galen had a smile for all of them.

"I would like to thank you for coming, for speaking so highly of my brother and his wife." Galen bowed slightly.

"You're welcome," Daniel replied. "It was my honor to meet them. I regret that our time together was so short."

"I have someone with me who would like to see you," Galen said. "When I heard SG-1 had been invited, I knew we would make this journey no matter the cost." He beckoned them to follow. "I did not know if making Symon attend the ceremony would be a good thing for him. My betrothed offered to take him to one of the city parks." Galen lowered his head. "I am still learning. I did not think to be a father so soon."

"I'm sure you're doing a fine job," Daniel said.

They walked across the wide avenue into a beautiful park. Daniel and Galen walked ahead. Jack put a hand on Carter's shoulder when she made to follow. He shook his head. "Let them have some time together."

She bit her lip but nodded.

By the time, Jack, Carter, and Teal'c joined them, Daniel was sitting on the ground, heedless of his suit, listening intently to a story Symon was telling him. Jack grinned at the sight.

Symon and Daniel both looked up at the same time and Symon smiled at them.

"I wost a toof," Symon told Jack while conveniently putting his finger in his mouth to point at the small gap where a tooth had once been.

"I see," Jack said.

Symon's attention quickly returned to Daniel. "Galen and Rora kiss all the time." The little boy wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and made a face.

"Symon," Galen said softly.

The woman standing beside him just smiled. "That is because we love each other, Symon. Just as your parents loved one another."

Jack held his breath at her words, unsure of what the little boy's reaction would be, but Symon smiled back at her and nodded. "Oh. Then that is good."

"It is very good," she agreed.

Galen put an arm around her and pulled her closer to the others. "This is my betrothed, Aurora. We will wed at the winter's feast."

She smiled and bowed to each of them in turn.

"Perhaps you would like to walk with us. I think Symon and Daniel have much to talk about." Galen swept his hand out, gesturing for the rest of SG-1 to follow.

* * * *

Jack walked ahead, and for a moment felt alarm when he didn't see Daniel and Symon sitting on the ground where SG-1 had left them, but then he spied them a further distance away. Daniel had moved to a bench and Symon was sitting on his lap, his curly head resting on Daniel's shoulder.

"Sometimes I miss my mama and papa," Jack heard Symon say.

"Sometimes I miss mine too," Daniel replied in a gentle voice.

"I wish they weren't dead," Symon continued.

"I know."

"Do you think they miss me a lot?" He pushed back from Daniel and Jack could see the intense expression on the little boy's face.

"I'm sure they do," Daniel answered. "I'm sure they didn't want to leave you."

"Where are your mama and papa? Do they miss you?"

"My mama and papa died when I was just a little bit older than you. And I don't think they wanted to leave me any more than your mama and papa wanted to leave you."

Symon was quiet a moment. "Do you cry at night?"

Daniel nodded. "Sometimes I do."

"Oh," the boy said and nodded. He wriggled on Daniel's lap. Daniel opened his arms and Symon hopped down and squatted on the dirt, looking at what Jack guessed was a bug.

Daniel turned on the bench and looked at Jack.

"Sorry." Jack shrugged. "I eavesdropped."

Daniel got up and walked to Jack's side as the others approached. "I didn't have any answers for him."

Jack shook his head and held up an index finger. "I think you had the answers he needed for now."

"I hope Symon wasn't a bother, Doctor Jackson," Galen said.

"Not at all." Daniel smiled at Galen and Aurora. "You're both doing a wonderful job with him. He seems happy."

"I have to confess, I do not always know how best to raise a child of his age. He reminds me so much of Alekos. When I look in his eyes, it is as if I look into my brother's. I hope that I will do him honor by raising his son."

"I'm sure you will, Galen," Jack answered for all of them. He glanced at his watch and then at his team. "Our transport is due to leave soon, gang."

  
He wished he could give Daniel more time on Dioni. But he couldn't even give Daniel a promise that they would ever return. They said their goodbyes and as they walked back towards the museum, Jack put a hand on Daniel's shoulder in quiet understanding.

"Good job with Symon," Jack said softly.

"I hope he remembers the good times," Daniel replied, looking back where Galen was spinning Symon in a circle.

"I think he will. He has a lot of people who care, who love him."

Daniel smiled. "He does. And that means a lot."

* * * *

The wormhole settled into the familiar blue puddle, and Daniel adjusted his pack. Teal'c and Sam had already gone through, gone home, and Jack was waiting for him.

He didn't know if he'd ever meet Symon again. He doubted they would. Daniel thought back to his speech, not to the formalized version he'd given earlier in the day, but to reading it by flashlight to Jack in an inn.

Tomorrow's past. They were already part of Symon's past, and someday, Daniel hoped, the boy-grown-to-a-man would remember wading barefoot in a creek hunting for treasures in the mud, being spun like a top in the middle of a park, the same way he could remember his father's hands guiding his and his mother's hugs while she read him a story.

"Ready?" Jack asked.

Daniel nodded and sent one last thought Symon's way--that when he was grown, he'd find friends as good as Daniel had. He smiled at Jack and stepped through the Gate, joy and gratitude filling his heart.

  



End file.
